2017 Scorecard Reveals Most Legislators Still Not Making the Grade

The New Jersey Legislature tried but failed to counter Governor Christie on the environment. They now must work with the new Governor to undo Christie's wrongdoing and counter Donald Trump.

New Jersey has not been at a more critical crossroads on the environment in modern history than it is today. Just as we have a chance to recover with the most anti-environment governor’s final term about to end, an even worse president’s term has just begun.

As our scorecards have documented since 2010, the NJ Legislature has failed to provide adequate environmental safeguards or effectively counter the Christie Administration. This 2015–17 edition does identify some promising trends — a two-fold drop in rollback efforts (38% to 20%) and a three-fold increase in legislative wins (20% to 60%).

However, legislators of both parties too often refused to use the 3 most powerful tools available to them — overriding vetoes, blocking rules inconsistent with legislative intent, and amending the constitution — to overcome Christie’s opposition.

With the climate crisis exacerbating storms like Irma, Harvey and Sandy, increasingly disturbing levels of lead in drinking water… we have to do better. With the entire legislature up and a thankfully open seat for governor, the November 2017 election offers a much-needed opportunity for a fresh start.

Take Action

Your legislators won't change their bad voting records or continue to bravely vote with the environment unless they know you're paying attention. Contact your legislators and let them know what you think of their grades! Click here to send them an email today.